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About this Episode
Independent daily news hour, hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Tune in for global news headlines, in-depth interviews, investigative reports and more at democracynow.org.
Hosts & Guests
Transcript
From New York, this is democracy now.
I arrived here when I was 12 years old.
I could have never imagined the day would come when we were staring down at this kind
of creeping authoritarianism in the United States of America.
An estimated 8 million Americans took to the streets Saturday in more than 3,300
no-kings protest nationwide against President Trump.
Democracy now was in the streets of the Twin Cities, Denver and New York.
While here, some of the voices, the New York police thwart an assassination attempt
against prominent Palestinian-American activists Nadine Kiswani, founder of the group
within our lifetime.
When I learned that someone was plotting to attack my home to take my life, I wasn't just
processing that as an organizer.
I was processing it as a mother holding my infant thinking about what it means to raise
a child under this level of threat.
A threat that so many Palestinian women are ready face.
Nadine Kiswani will join us in studio, then to Lebanon, where three journalists were
targeted and killed in their car by an Israeli strike.
This is Israel.
This is the reality of Israel when it targets media colleagues.
The work press is written in all major languages, who is protecting it.
Where are the regulations and international laws?
All that and more coming up.
Welcome to democracynowdemocracynow.org, the Warren Peace Report.
I'm Amy Goodman.
An estimated eight million people took to the streets of cities across 50 U.S. states
and more than a dozen countries around the world Saturday.
In thousands of protests against President Trump under the banner No Kings, organizers
say it was the largest single day of protest in U.S. history.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, about 200,000 protesters gathered at the state capital just miles from
where federal immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretty in January.
Headlines, will air speeches from the St. Paul rally?
You'll hear from Joan Baez and Bruce Springsteen, Ilhan Omar and others.
And we go to the streets of New York throughout the five boroughs.
The U.S. is really war and Iran has entered its fifth week, President Trump told the Financial
Times Sunday.
He would prefer, quote, to take the oil and seize Iran's oil export hub, Carg Island.
Shortly after his comments, the price of oil surged to $116 a barrel.
Separately, President Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One and boasted about regime
change in Iran.
President Trump's comments come as 3500 U.S. troops began arriving in the region Friday.
The Washington Post reported Saturday night, the Pentagon's preparing for weeks of potential
ground conflict in Iran.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is reporting, President Trump's considering a military
operation to seize nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran.
This is Ibrahim Zulfakari, the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In response to Trump's recent threats of ground operations or occupation of any part
of Iranian territory, which, of course, is nothing more than a wish, we announced that
the warriors of Islam have been waiting for such actions for a long time to prove that
aggression and occupation will not result in anything other than humiliating captivity
and this amendment and disappearance of the aggressors.
Sent Com says more than 300 U.S. troops have been wounded in the Iran war so far 13 U.S.
have died.
According to a consortium of human rights groups in Iran nearly 1,500 Iranian civilians
some say more than 2,000 have been killed, at least 217 children have been killed in the
U.S. and Israeli strikes.
U.S. officials say Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Prince Sultan Air
Base in Saudi Arabia, wounding at least 15 U.S. service members Friday.
Also destroyed the U.S. military's E3 century radar aircraft.
The first time the $300 million plane has been lost in combat.
On Saturday, Yemen's Houthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles at southern Israel
for the first time since the war began targeting what the group called sensitive Israeli military
sites.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed air defense cooperation agreements
with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates Saturday after signing a similar deal with Saudi
Arabia during his visit to the Kingdom Thursday.
Ukraine has sent anti drone experts to all three Gulf countries.
As Iran has been targeting infrastructure in the region using drone similar to ones
used by Russia against Ukraine.
On Sunday, Zelensky also visited Jordan for security talks.
And Israeli strike targeted a marked press car in southern Lebanon Saturday killing Ale
Shueb of Al-Munar TV, reporter Fatima Fattuni of Al-Mayyadin TV and her brother freelance
cameraman, Mohammad Fattuni.
Israel's military said it targeted Shueb, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence
operative without providing evidence.
Israel made no mention of the two other journalists killed, protesters gathered in martyrs square
and Beirut Saturday holding photos of the dead journalists killed in the Israeli air strike.
The important thing we all want to draw attention to is that the Israeli enemy.
Once they find anyone standing for rights and supporting the oppressed tries to silence
that voice, and the voice of the oppressed cannot be stopped, despite the enemy trying
to overpower it, or no matter how many killings they carry out.
Lebanon's information minister said the government would file a complaint with the UN Security
Council over what he called Israel's deliberate and blatant war crime against the media.
Unquote, meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, said a peacekeeper was
killed Sunday when a projectile exploded at one of its positions in southern Lebanon.
Another peacekeeper was critically injured on Saturday.
The World Health Organization said nine paramedics were killed and five separate Israeli
strikes in southern Lebanon bringing the total number of health workers killed by Israel
in March to 51.
The attacks come as Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to further
expand the security buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
The United Nations says Israeli strikes and evacuation orders in Lebanon have displaced
more than 370,000 children.
More than 120 children have been killed and nearly 400 have been injured in Israeli attacks
this month.
In Gaza, Israeli air strikes and two checkpoints in Kanyunis killed at least six Palestinians,
including a child Sunday, according to local health officials.
The Israeli military has killed over 680 Palestinians in Gaza, since a U.S.
brokerage ceasefire with Hamas came into effect last November.
This is the mother of Samar al-Faisus, who was killed in Israeli air strikes on Sunday.
This is the fourth martyr I do not have any sons left, no sons are left.
That's enough, that's enough, enough, enough.
What is the fault of this woman?
What is the fault of this child, this child?
Two and a half years old in orphaned, there is a fetus in her womb who will enter
the world without a father.
Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierre Batista Pisabala, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem,
from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday to celebrate mass.
Due to Israel's ban on gatherings at religious sites during the Iran War, Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu said Iranian missiles had repeatedly targeted Jerusalem's holy sites with missile
fragments landing near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The Latin Patriarchate said it was the first time in centuries the heads of the Church
were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday mass at the site, calling the incident to grave
precedent.
EU foreign policy chief, Kajakalis, called it a violation of religious freedom.
Following the backlash, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Latin patriarch would receive full
and immediate access to the Church.
Pope Leo has reprimanded U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for using Christian scripture
to justify waging war and slaughtering people.
During a Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter Square, the Pope said God refuses the prayers of leaders
who have hands full of blood.
Meanwhile leaders of the Democratic Women's Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus have
condemned Hegseth for personally intervening to block the promotion of four army officers
to become one-star generals.
Two of the four denied promotions are black, two are women.
The remaining officers on track for promotions are overwhelmingly white men.
A New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with plotting to fire bomb the home of a prominent
Palestinian-American activist in Brooklyn.
Alexander Heifler is accused of assembling Molotov cocktails and planning an arson attack
against Nadine Kiswani, the co-founder of within our lifetime.
Kiswani has led protests in support of Palestinians and against Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
Investigators say Heifler is a member of the Jewish Defense League, a pro-Israel group
designated as a terrorist group by the FBI.
He allegedly planned to flee to Israel after launching the attack.
We'll speak with Nadine Kiswani later in the broadcast.
President Trump sent a brag to reporters.
His planned White House ballroom is, quote, a head of schedule and under budget, unquote.
He also described the ballroom as a shed for a massive military complex being built underneath.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued the Trump administration, alleging
the ballroom construction ignored required reviews and public input.
South America has agreed to pay more than $72 million to settle a federal lawsuit
brought by hundreds of survivors of rape and sexual abuse by the late convicted sex
offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Survivors filed the lawsuit last October, alleging Bank of America over look clear signs Epstein
was using a pair of bank accounts to carry out crimes.
The suit claimed Bank of America had, quote, a plethora of information regarding Epstein's
ex-trafficking operation, but chose profit over protecting the victims, unquote.
It's the third settlement of its kind after Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase paid
out a combined $365 million to settle lawsuits brought by Epstein survivors.
The shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is now the longest shutdown of any federal
agency in U.S. history on Friday, a record number of TSA workers called out of work, since
the shutdown began, more than 500 TSA officers have quit.
Last week, the House passed its own short-term bill to fund the entire Department of Homeland
Security after the Senate passed a bill excluding funding for ICE and Border Patrol.
The House bill now heads to the Senate, which is currently in a two-week recess.
And here in New York, Senator Bernie Sanders rallied support Sunday for a proposed income
tax increase on New Yorkers earning over a million dollars a year.
The tax would impose a 2% increase on New York City's wealthiest residents, hoping to
close the looming budget deficit as Mayor Mamdani seeks to establish universal free early
child care, free bus rides, and more affordable housing.
This is Senator Sanders speaking at a rally at Lehman College.
The people of this city, the people of this state, the people of this country do not want
to see our kids go hungry, do not want to see people sleep out on the street, lack health
care.
They want the very rich to start paying their fair share of taxes.
And those are some of the headlines.
This is DemocracyNow, democracynow.org, the Warren Peace Report, I'm Amy Goodman.
An estimated 8 million people took to the streets Saturday in thousands of no-kings protests
against President Trump.
Protests were held in all 50 states in more than a dozen countries.
Organizers say it was the largest single day of protest in U.S. history.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, about 200,000 protesters gathered at the Minnesota Capitol just miles
from where federal immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretty in January.
Performers and speakers in St. Paul included Senator Bernie Sanders, Bruce Springsteen, Jane
Fonda, and Joan Baez.
We begin with Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
I came to this country as a refugee.
To me, America was a beacon of hope, a place where freedom wasn't just a word.
But it was a promise.
I arrived here when I was 12 years old.
I could have never imagined the day would come when we were staring down at this kind of
creeping authoritarianism in the United States of America.
But we are here because Donald Trump just has not chipped away at our democracy.
He has taken a wrecking ball to the very foundation of what makes America great.
He has tried to intimidate Minnesotans.
He has tried to make us afraid.
He has tried to divide us.
But we stood strong.
We have had each other's back and we have never bent the knee.
Because in Minnesota, we are built different.
We do not coward to police.
We are Minnesota strong.
What we are seeing right now is bigger than what is happening here.
Operation Metro Search was just the tip of the Isingberg.
We are witnessing a full-scale assault on our rights, our institutions, and the rule
of law.
They are floating an illegal takeover of places like Cuba and Greenland, like it is some
kind of a real-state deal.
And under the so-called anti-war president, we have now seen the launching of military
operations in Iran, in Venezuela, and in Ecuador.
Just a couple of weeks ago, they told us that they blew up a drug trafficking camp in Ecuador
and it turned out to be a dairy farm, a dairy farm.
This is what incompetency and unchecked power looks like.
It is reckless, it is dangerous, and this is not what our country will stand for.
We are not a country of kings, we are a country of laws.
We are a country where people look out for one another.
And we are a country that will fight peacefully, powerfully, and persistently to protect our
democracy.
I love you, Minnesotans, thank you so much for being out here.
And now it is my honor to introduce a lifelong hero of mine, the incredible brave, courageous
Jane Fonda.
Hi everybody, Becca Good, the wife of Rene Good has asked me to read a statement which
I am honored to do.
Hello, Minnesota, this is from Becca Good.
I am so proud to call Minneapolis my home.
I can't stop talking about how absolutely beautiful it is to see how Minnesota shows
up for its people.
I want to say thank you for how you've shown up for me, how you've shown up and shown
out for all the people, victimized by this horrible moment in history.
So many people have reached out to me and surrounded me with safety and care.
But I know I am not alone in feeling in awe of your generosity.
The reality is I am so heartbroken, I miss my wife.
The world now knows that my wife sparkled with sunshine and shone with kindness that
is unmatched.
We were robbed of an incredible human.
It has made people pause and take a breath and have to choose sides.
We choose the side of love, yes.
I'm Niki Ma Levy Armstrong, Civil Rights Attorney, Activist and someone standing firmly against
authoritarianism, tyranny and fascism of the Trump administration.
I want to lift up one of my comrades, Monique Colors Doty, co-founder of Black Lives Matter
and Minnesota.
Also co-founder along with myself and J. Lonnie Hussein of the National Target Boycott.
Myself along with Monique and other Black women are also co-organizers of the city's
church protest that took place on January 18th during Dr. King Weekend.
There are 39 of us right now, the richest 39 who are being charged by the Trump administration
for standing up for freedom, justice and equality.
We need to stand behind those of us who are calling out ice, fascism, tyranny and authoritarianism
on behalf of the people, standing up for immigrant neighbors, standing up for Renee Good, standing
up for Alex Prattie and calling for justice.
It's my honor to introduce to you a good friend of mine who's also one of my heroes.
Please welcome the great Joan Bias to the stage.
I'm honored to be standing in resistance with all of you today on this stage in this city
at this moment.
For those of us who believe in the power of nonviolent resistance and those of you who
didn't, you have shown the way with your courage, determination and decency.
Thank you, Minneapolis.
And now no kings is proud to welcome to the stage Senator Bernie Sanders.
Let us be honest, the American people were lied to about the war in Vietnam.
We were lied to about the war in Iraq.
And we are being lied to today about the war in Iran.
This war must end immediately.
In last election, Donald Trump pointed out correctly the huge amounts of money that had
been wasted in wars that should have been spent rebuilding America.
He campaigned as a peace candidate and he promised no more forever wars.
He lied.
One month ago, Trump and his partner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, started
a war with Iran.
This war is unconstitutional.
Trump did not seek or receive authorization from Congress.
This war is a violation of international law.
One sovereign nation cannot simply go about attacking another sovereign nation for any
reason it chooses.
No kings is proud to welcome to the stage the 41st governor of the great state of Minnesota,
Tim Walls.
When the wannabe dictator in the White House sent his untrained aggressive thugs to do damage
to Minnesota, it was you, Minnesota, who stood up for your neighbors, who stood up for
your decency, who stood up for kindness, and at this moment that we are still in, when
democracy itself seems to be at risk, it was Minnesota who said not on our watch, not
on our watch.
So I have to tell you, we're damn sure about this, we need no damn kings.
But I'll tell you what I'm glad we have, we do need a boss, please welcome Bruce
Springsteen to the stage.
In this past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis.
Well they picked the wrong city.
The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota was an inspiration
to the entire country, your strength, and your commitment told us that this is still America.
And this reactionary nightmare, and these invasions of American cities will not stand.
You gave us hope, you gave us courage, and for those who gave their lives were in a good
mother of three brutally murdered, Alex Prety, VA nurse executed by ICE, shot in the back
and left a die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating
their deaths, their bravery, their sacrifice, and their names will not be forgotten.
Well through the winter's ice and cold, down the glade avenue, a city of flame fought
fire and ice, nothing I kept by his boots, King Trump's private army from the Dages, guns
belted to their coats, came to Minneapolis to enforce their law, or so their storey goes.
Against smoking, irreverable, it's well-bounded on the early light, citizens stood for justice,
their voices ran through the night, and there were bloody footprints, where mercy should
Bruce Springsteen performing streets of Minneapolis in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the flagship No Kings
protest just miles from where immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Prety in January.
When we come back, we go to No Kings protest in New York in Denver, but first more of Bruce
Springsteen.
From Spederal Thugs beat up on his face and his chest, and then we heard the gunshots,
Bruce Springsteen performing streets of Minneapolis at the No Kings protest in St. Paul, Minnesota.
This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, The War and Peace Report.
I'm Amy Goodman.
As we continue our coverage of Saturday's No Kings protest, an estimated eight million
people took the streets of all 50 states, as well as countries around the world.
Organizers say it was the largest single day of protest in U.S. history, with protests
in over 3,300 cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, and Denver, Colorado protesters, included
longtime immigrant rights activists, Jeanette Disgierre, in December.
She was released from an ICE jail after nearly 10 months in detention.
My name is Jeanette Disgierre.
I am a local and national immigrant rights organizer, and I am also a person impacted
by this administration.
I was in the Geoprocessing Center for nine months and seven days, just for using my rights
to criticize, to denounce, to fight with my community.
I think it's not just.
It's the dirtiest that one can see, that this administration is trying to shut up leaders,
pro-Palestinian, pro-immigrant, whatever struggle they're violating our rights.
For this, we are here in Denver, Colorado, fighting for our rights in community and unity.
March is organized by us on the national level, are saying enough of President Trump.
He's not the king of this country nor the king of the world, and we are going to continue
fighting for our rights and for our democracy in this country.
I have indigenous blood, and you have to remember, I have more right than many here to be
in this lands, in my community, and here we are struggling.
Long time immigrant rights activist Jeanette Disgierre recently released from an ICE jail.
She was at the No Kings protest in Denver.
We now turn to the No Kings protest here in New York Saturday.
I'm Amy Goodman.
This is democracy now, we're here, and the south end of Central Park, thousands and thousands
and thousands of people are marching on this No Kings Day.
Let's hear what some of them have to say why they came out.
We say no.
Nelson time for Trump to go.
Can you tell me your name and who you're with and why you're around here?
Hi, I'm Leah Gidal-Lieberson.
I'm here today with We The Students and YC.
students from across the city in many different schools and we're here to put
our voices together and show that we are paying attention as much as a
government wants to pretend and try to get us to not pay attention we are
paying attention and so we're here to show that together we'll put our voices
together and we're going to change the system because we're together I am 16
years old thank you what great I'm a junior in high school high school for
environmental studies my name is Luna I'm with the RevComCore for the
Man's Patient of Humanity and we're out here on no Kings Day because look
this Donald Trump is a fascist and all the millions of decent people need to be
out here and and look they they are waging an imperialist war of aggression on
Iran right now my name is Jean Burman my son says grandparents fight back
dot work we are nonviolent that's why we abhor ice tactics and the
January 6th insurrection we are law abiding that's why we detest the legal
actions of Trump at Al we love America that's why we fight for democracy our
rights decency our land and the well-being of all of us grandparents fight
back for the sake of our grandchildren I'm six my name is Leo my sign is
about that about that was supposed to be like talking really loud like like my
mega like here oh you have a megaphone and your sign says time to use our
outside voices what's your outside voice
sounding like sounding very loud yeah my name is Roxanne Griffith I'm out here
because we have to get rid of this fascist regime this regime this cannot this
cannot continue and my sign is we've got to get rid of this regime and it also
with the voters oppression that they are working night and day on we've got a
vote we've got a vote we've got a vote and we've got to stop what they're trying
to do this vote while you still can it says and then your pin on your baseball
caps says give a damn give a damn there's so many people who don't and I hope it
resonates with some people today you got to give it damn this is serious I
remember this in the news this gentleman being left in the cold legally blind
and he dies so I'm holding a sign New York is full your sign says New York for
all would have saved Neural Amin Shah Alam beloved father and husband killed when
local police colluded with ice his is just a microcosm for the ways in which ice
and you know our government as a whole has targeted immigrants and we've
seen that it's actually moved beyond immigrants many American citizens have
been targeted so like many people out here we're here advocating for a stop
to ice and just an end to the targeting of immigration of immigrants and just
our community members here and are you a student I am a student yes where are you
a student I'm a student at Columbia University my name is Chase I'm a psychiatry
resident I work and the Bronx I work with patients in crises and I see how this
whole all of this impacts their mental well-being every day especially in the
Bronx we have a very significant immigrant population and I see how the
fear of persecution directly impacts their mental health and leads to
worse towards outcomes and impacts their care so this is from our union our
resident union sign that we had we had a no-king stay sit in at our hospital and
so I wanted to bring it to represent it it says patients deserve care without
here so Norman Siegel legendary civil rights attorney from the New York
Civil Liberties Union can you talk about what this day means it's a store
because not only in New York City but in cities and towns villages all across
America people are rising up we're saying democracy yes orocracy no and the
fact there's so many people here who've never been part of a protest
movement inspires me I'm 82 but I'm not giving up not only that but we have a lot
of young people here who are ready to pick up the torture freedom justice and
equality for all we will prevail this is from the no-kings protest in New York one
of 3300 protests in the largest day of protest in US history coming up the
New York police say they've awarded a plot to assassinate the prominent
Palestinian-American activist Nardine Casswani the co-founder of within our
lifetime she joins us in studio stay with us
it'll still shake you windows and rattle your walls for the times they are changing
make some noise for Tom Morello
come mothers and fathers throughout the land and don't criticize what you don't
understand Minneapolis Minnesota is beyond your command your old road is
rapidly ancient so get the way
Roger's and Tom Morello performing the times they are changing at Saturday's
no-kings protest in St. Paul this is democracy now democracy now dot or the
warrant peace report I'm Amy Goodman a New Jersey man has been arrested and
charged with plotting to fire bomb the home of a prominent Palestinian-American
activist in Brooklyn Alexander Heifler is accused of assembling Molotov
cocktails and planning an arson attack against the home of Nardine Casswani the
co-founder of within our lifetime a Palestinian led community organization here in
New York Nardine has led protests in support of Palestinians and against
Israel's assault on Gaza the arrest follows a weeks long undercover
investigation by the New York police department that started online
investigators say Heifler is a member of the JDL 613 brotherhood a New Jersey
based group found in 2024 the group is an offshoot of the Jewish defense
league a pro-Israel group designated by the FBI as a terrorist organization the
plot allegedly began in February when Heifler discussed making Molotov
cocktails on a video call that included an undercover detective prosecutors said
in the complaint the undercover detective met in person with Heifler on three
occasions and they built eight Molotov cocktails together in Heifler's home he
faces up to 20 years in prison New York City mayors or on Mamdani released a
statement that read in part quote the defendant reportedly planned to flee
to Israel following the attack this comes amidst an alarming rise in threats and
violence across the country targeting Palestinian human rights advocates
Mayor Mamdani said we're joined here in our New York studio by Nardine
Casswani welcome to democracy now you are the prominent Palestinian American
activists that this man targeted a part of this offshoot of the JDL can you
talk about when you learned of the possible assassination attempt thank you so
much for having me Amy I learned of the the assassination attempt that a night
before everyone else Thursday night around nine or 10 p.m. FBI JTTF joint
terrorist task force I reached out to me and my family called us multiple times
you know and let us know this you're not in any trouble this concerns your
safety and told me that you know I was in danger of imminent harm and they've
made our arrest and they no longer believe I'm in danger but they really didn't
provide any other information not his name not what the threat was just said
an arrest was made in Hoboken and told me that I'd find out about it on the news
like everyone else the next day so what were your first thoughts when the FBI
and the New York police department contacted you and then when you heard what
this plot was all about when he was brought into court zoom call him unbeknownst to
him and undercover detective as they planned your assassination well before I
knew it was the FBI I was getting no caller ID calls I thought it could have
been Zionist that were coming to my front door that were calling me because I've
been getting these kinds of threats for years now and they've been increasing
especially in the last few months but when they told me about the plot you know
my heart dropped to my stomach I have a nine-month-old infant I have a disabled
brother I have a family that you know I'm worried about and that I care about
and it really made me feel even more vulnerable than I already do as a
Palestinian activist who's been warning about this kind of thing for so long
and Zionist have been able to continue to target me harass me attack me with
impunity so it was really scary and it really harkened back to the lawsuit that
I filed against batara another Zionist organization just last month in
February you know it's and why did you file that lawsuit it's a civil rights
lawsuit under the anti-KKK act of 1871 and it you know alleges that they
violated my civil rights by making it impossible for me to participate in
public life they put an $1,800 bounty on my head saying we'll give $1,800
to anyone who hands that jihadia beeper of course referencing the Lebanon the
Israeli attack on Lebanese families children who've been left maimed and
disabled so it instantly brought my mind back to that and whether this was
revenge to that it brought my mind back to Alex Alda of the ADC who was
fire bombed in his office that was the American Arab anti-discrimination
committee in Los Angeles exactly and you know he died and his per his
perpetrators suspects also fled to Israel just like this guy was planning to
and were never you know held to justice nobody was ever jailed for that there
was no accountability reading from the New York Times a JDO founded New York
in the 60s by Maya Kahana a Brooklyn-born anti Arab militant who later moved
to Israel and founded the Koch Party the party was later outlawed in Israel for
inciting racism the Jewish defense league in the Koch Party have been
connected to several high-profile acts of violence in 1994 Baruch Goldstein
another Brooklyn-born man and JDO activist who immigrated to Israel killed 29
people and injured 125 more when he opened fire at a West Bank mosque during
Ramadan and then in 2005 JDO members were convicted of a plot to bomb a
Los Angeles mosque and an office of Congressmember Daryl Issa in California
yeah it's truly shocking what they've been able to get away with they've been
openly protesting within our lifetime for over 10 years despite being on the
designated terrorist list by the FBI they operate in plain sight I've been
also warning about them this specific offshoot tweeted at me in January saying
that you and your disgusting baby have no right to exist in the US and we are
always watching you you know I posted about that I've been you know screaming
into the void about the plots the assassination the history of assassination
attempts the attacks you know that they've a lot at the Palestine movement at
Palestinians at Muslims and it's just been ignored for far too long so it's
good to finally have some accountability although the charges are limited to
just making and possession of firearms and not the attempted murder and
attempted a terrorist attack within our lifetime the group you co-founded what
does it do we organize protests educational events and really advocate to
revitalize the revolutionary spirit of Palestinians in exile but we work with
you know people of all different feats and backgrounds to bring Palestine front
and center and to remind everyone especially here in New York City that it's
our tax dollars that pay for the genocide that pay for the occupation of the
Palestinian people my people and so it's our responsibility to educate
agitate and organize to remove to end all US funding to Israel and to support
Palestinian liberation and the name within our lifetime means that you know
we believe that Palestine is going to be free within our lifetime it's not a
distant endeavor it's something that we wish to bring about you know while we're
here for the future of everybody well thank you for coming into our studio I
know this was a risk with your baby thank you and be safe thank you so much
Nerdy and Kiswan is co-founder of the pro-Palestinian group within our
lifetime she and her attorneys are holding a news conference today at 11 a.m. at
New York City Hall this is democracy now democracy now dot or the war and peace
report I'm Amy Goodman and Israeli strike targeted a marked press car in
Southern Lebanon Saturday killing all issue of a minor TV reporter Fatima
Fattuni of Amaya Dean TV and her brother freelance cameraman Muhammad Fattuni
Israel's military said it targeted Shoeb accusing him of being a
Hisbalah intelligence operative without providing evidence Israel made no
mention of the other two journalists that the military killed mourners and
protestors gathered in martyrs square Lebanese president Joseph Iloon
described the journalists as civilians doing their professional duty he condemned
Israel's attack in a statement on social media that reddened park quote it's a
brazen crime that violates all treaties and norms to which journalists enjoy
international protection and war unquote Lebanon's information minister Paul
Marco said his country will submit a complaint to the United Nations
we are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to complete a complaint
file to be submitted to the relevant bodies and international forms the United
Nations Human Rights Council the International Committee of the Red Cross and
other international bodies we will not consider the repeated and delivered
targeting of journalists is something normal and we will not access it the attack
comes as the World Health Organization said nine paramedics were also killed
Saturday in five separate Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon bringing the
total number of health workers killed by Israel in March to 51 we go right now
to Beirut where we're joined by the investigative journalist Leila Yunus her
piece for drop site news earlier this month is headlined Israel killed over a
dozen Lebanese paramedics and three days now claiming that ambulances are his
bullet targets we welcome you back to democracy now Leila talk about the three
journalists killed exactly what happened this is perhaps the first time that
Israel's admitting it targeted one of the journalists it doesn't talk about
the other two blowing up their car right these reporters were prominent
journalists we all recognize here in Lebanon they've been reporting from the
ground in the south even before this escalation started Ali Shayib
Fatmif Tune and her brother Hamad Ftune so they were basically in a car driving
in the Jazeem district of southern Lebanon when a suicide drone struck the car
and then you know individuals on the side of the road began rushing towards the
vehicle trying to help to see if there was you know wounded that they could
rescue and then Israel targeted the car again with a second strike which is
something that we're seeing a lot right now in Lebanon these sort of double-tap
strikes that affect the ability of first responders to actually do their job
I wanted to go to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this says
Israel's military says it's expanding its invasion of southern Lebanon
in Lebanon I have just instructed to further expand the existing securities
on in order to decisively short the threat of invasion and to push anti-tank
missile fire away from our border. Layla Eunice if you can talk about what the
Prime Minister said and also talk about the funeral and who turned out for
this funeral of the three journalists. The funeral was packed with reporters with
press and also individuals who have been following the voices of these
journalists for years and I want to tell you about these reporters you know
the Israeli military spokesperson and the various outlets that wander
you know his claims will tell you that these were Hezbollah you know militants
or propagandists for terrorism but as a reporter here on the ground Amy it's
my responsibility to tell you how these reporters communities describe them which
is as courageous journalists who spoke truth to power who's politics and
commitment to reporting was directly informed by their experience with
Israeli violence and occupation and you know
additionally I think it's important to note that these claims that these
reporters were military targets you know they they mirror claim that we saw
in Gaza when Israel targeted Anasashereet and Hussam Shabbat and Asmai al-Bool
right claiming similar things there when we were seeing these same reporters as
we are here on the news day in day out so the
hearts are very very heavy here in Lebanon you know at the death of these
reporters and of course this is not the first time you know that that
Israel has kind of targeted reporting and I think it's important as well to note
in doing so what Israel is effectively doing is it's trying to break the will
of the people of this community that they're kind of
leading this campaign of collective punishment against when we when we see
those reporters on the ground in the south in land that
hundreds and thousands have been forced to flee you know it gives hope there
there's almost you know in seeing them there on that earth a promise
of return and so I think that this this is really an attempt to kind of
you know break break the will of the people in in in a moment of
of deep vulnerability. Israel's military wrote on social media quote
eliminated for years al-Hasan Shabbat operated as Bala Radwan force
terrorist under the guise of a journalist turns out the press
vest was just a cover for terror they said
the text appears with an image that appears to be two photographs of Shabbat
spliced together and that's what it looks like on the left wearing a press uniform
on the right a military uniform of his Bala but the image is a fake
the idea of later admitted to Fox News the photograph on the right is
photoshopped your response to this maybe it's it's you know we've seen it before
remember when they assassinated it's a silent rule and in the rest of
you know what did they say they they said that he was a part of an elite
Hamas division and they they named the date of his entry into that
division and then if you do the math given his extremely young age he would
have been a child at the time of his you know entry into the
elite Hamas division another blatant lie an attempt to justify
you know what is obviously against international law and all human conscience
the targeting of press as their own the ground doing their doing their work
we talked about the medics killed the last time you run
even more if you can explain the latest killing of medics we just have 30
seconds it's been relentless Amy you know 12 killed in
Gujarat Y5 in Zotin in Sarajee the the 15-year-old
Jude Sleiman killed the long side did not have 19-year-old
Haneja but on the road in a clearly marked EMS vehicle
if you know the U.S. government doesn't force Israel to stop these crimes they
will only continue Leila Eunice I want to thank you for joining us
investigative journalist and writer based in Beirut
this is democracy now democracy now.org I'm Amy Goodman
as the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran enters its second month we
also are joined by Ali Kadivar a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for
Advanced Studies at Harvard University Associate Professor of
Sociology and International Studies at Boston College he grew up in Iran
during the Iran Iraq War was active in the student movement
at the University of Tehran we're going to do this interview in two
parts Professor Kadivar first if you can talk about the significance of this
moment as the U.S. and Israel moves into the
second month of bombing Iran and Iran retaliating around the region
so Iran has gone through various war multiple wars through its
modern history any Iranian that has lived through
20th and 21st century has witnessed at least two significant wars
in their lifetime many of these wars even if we go back to 19th century
Iran and Russia were with Britain then war one were two
Iran Iraq war the June war with Israel and America
and this current war many of the previous wars also
lost resulted in the lost territory war one resulted in
famine and in plague many Iranians died so these have been
these have been significant wars and Iran is going through another war which
is which has been an existential threat for the government many
the head of the state Ali Hamini was killed and removed
on the first day of the war many officials of the Islamic Republic have been
killed also many residential buildings have been
pounded and attacked schools have been bombed hospitals have been bombed
over the last few days there have been bombing and attacks on
major factories steel plants in in esfahan in khuzistan
and it looks like that if maybe if the war was about the regime change
it it is not anymore or maybe never it was
this recent attacks on civilian infrastructure
makes the war look like more a war on Iran as a nation states
i wanted to get your response professor qadivar to president trump speaking on
sunday in air force one
the one regime was decimated stride they're all bad the next regime is
also dead and the third regime were dealing with different people than
anybody's dealt with before it's a whole different group of people
basically uh president trump is saying we've accomplished regime change
because we killed the first group the second group
and now the third group we're dealing with a whole different group of people
your response to his definition of regime change
i mean he of course keeps changing his definitions and his goals
the leadership has changed in that sense yes there has been some change within
the islamic republic but the institutions have not collapsed um
internal dynamics of islamic republic have function to replace
new individuals for each positions and the killing and assassinations of
leadership of islamic republic is not something new
killing of the head of the state is new this had not happened
for a long time uh or in islamic republic but up to the level of
president we have had senior leadership of islamic republic
being assassinated in uh 1980s and they have been
replaced um so i don't think the regime has changed because
these are the the new leadership is not coming from outside the
regime in most cases such as mojtabah humane that is not the new leader or
zolghaz that became the secretary of the high
consil for national security the new leadership have been even more hawkish than
previous leadership so it is in some way it is true that the leadership has
changed and it has become more hard line and hawk hawkish we're going to
continue this discussion and post online at democracynow.org with
professor Ali Kadivar fellow at the rank of institute for advanced studies at
Harvard University Associate Professor of Sociology and
International Studies at Boston College democracy now currently accepting
applications for a development associate position to support our fundraising
team learn more at democracynow.org that does it for our show i'm Amy Goodman
this is another edition of democracy now
